The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1887-08-18
AWFUL CALAMITY.
A YOUNG Man and kis Wife
Drowned in ScOtss Creek.

One of the saddest duties we
have been called upon TO discharge
for some time is to record the
drowning of j. f. Benscnlaver and
vile at SCOTS Creek Falls, Tuesday
morning. 1t was aboat 12 O'Clock
when the SENTINEL; Reporter ar
rived af the Falls and the drowning
was fully one hour and a half before
that time. Bensenhavers watch
showing, when his remains were ta-
ken from the water, that it had
stopped at % minutes after 10
o'clock and it was very likely about
that TINE when he gave up the
struggle. for life.
Among all the crowd of excited
peop'e who had gathered at the
scene of the tragedy 1t WAS hard
matter to find one who could te i
anything about how the terrible dis.
aster happened.
Onr reporter however at last found
VIM. Knipe, who had this to say:
81 WAS coming down the Scots
Creek road behind BeEsenhaver and
his wife. When they came to the
ford they pulled off to the left and
followed the road on down past
the falls. 1t was alter 1 had passed
the falls that heard the noise up
the creek, and quickly returning
found the team struggling in the
water. There was no sign of the
people. fl had been able to swim l
! could have easily saved the horses.
| and have no doubt but that Bensen
haver- could also have been saveil rs
the air bubbles were still arising
from tho wafer where they went
down. There was basket and hat
floating On the water. found Ben
dlsenhaver's coat near the south shore
and it was from letters in the pock-
ct that l learned who the parties
were"
,s.v
| Above the SCOTS Creek Falls, some
fifty ards. is long stretch of water
This is above The ford. 1t was in this
pool thst young Bensenhaver, and his
bride of but few months, were lost.
| HOW DID THEY GET INTO THAT POOL.
1t was first reported and afterwards
argued by some that the team had ran
away and plunged into deep water. The
testimony of Knipe shows that this was
not true. The tracks OF the wagon
wheels show also that in turning out of
the road, a good turn had been made,
sI.d the tracks further show that the
wagon was headed straight for the deep
| water.
| About the only conclusion then that
can be arrived at, is, that young Benz
senhaver, hsing unacquainted with the
fact that the apparently shallow pool
dropped, after going certain distance,
down into twelve feet OF water, drove
in to water his horses. Now in his
wagon was some twenty bushels Of
wheat. and the theory is that when the
horses came TO the point where the ter
rible of set in the rocks is, that they
took n header and dragging the wagon
after them. Eensenhaver, his wife and
the wheat, were pitched headlong from
the wagon. This however is but ore
theory. and just how this awful disastersi
actually occurred will never be known.
Some seem TO think tia. .he wagon went
over side ways 1t does not matter
! now the lean. vent over. hut IL is very
evident that it must have turned in the
water, for it was headed down stream
and the horses drowned with their
heads to the very point where the tracks
of the wagon wheels showed the wagon
passed into the pool.
RECOVERING TIE BODIES.
OF course at the first alarm this city
turned out an awful crowd and when
our reporter started for the falls he not
only passed hundreds of people on the
road, but found the banks of the creek |
fairly teeming with a wildly excited |
crowd at the scene of disaster.
The work of recovering the bodies |
was at once commenced, the following |
persons stripping and going into the |
water: Tide Houston, Bub Voris, |
Frank Mcbride. Will ana JEFF Davis,
Frank hanode, Chas. Balger and Bill
Morris.
Bub Voris had been in the water bat
short time when he found the body OF
the woman. Coroner Gage. who was
one among the first on the grounds, CT
dered the body to be carried to the
creek bank, where it was taken charge
OF by Mrs. Levi Kittsmiller, Mrs. Gompf
and Mrs. r. Belt. A very few minutes
later VIII Davis made dive and
brought up the body of Bensenhayer,
and he was laid by the side of his wife
on the green.
The woman was dressed in black and
the expression OF her face was peace
ful as If death had come without a
struggle. Bensenhaver face was dis
colored and he had evidently died first.
He was in his shirt sleeves. This young
couple sleeping So quietly on the green
bank Of the creek made an awful pic
ture. The touch of death had barely
driven the maiden flush from the cheek
of the young wife of only few months
Hundreds of weeping women and chill
dren crowded around the dead. Final
iy Coroner Gage procured a spring
wagon and the remains were removed
to the undertaking department of the
Logan Manufacturing Company.
= WHO WERE THE VICTIMS.
John +. Bensenhayer was the son Of
DIETRICH Bensenhaver, AN old and well
known citizen residing near Ewing, this
county. Last Spring he was married to
Miss Clara, daughter of the late Silas
Nixon. Both OF the young people were
widely and iavorahly known through
cut the county. They we're on their
way to Logan when they met death at
the Falls Of Scots Creek.
TIE POOL
In which the Bensenhaver's were
drowned is abont twenty-five yards
above the ford. 1t is some seventy five
yards long and about thirty yards wide.
at the lower end, the old dam that was
in use years ago was constructed.
There is peculiar formation In the
rock at the foot of the pool that is rare
ly noted in any stream. The rocks
drops off straight down from twelve to
fifteen feet and faces up stream. Why
this pool has never filed up is a ques-
ton that no one can answer. There is
;,n old legend that there is a subterra-
mean passage under the falls, and that
this water way keeps the pool clear of
rubbish. Mike Whaleu, in speaking of |